Drum tilting device



Sept. 29, 1959 J. J. REAGAN ETAL 2,906,489

DRUM TILTING DEVICE Filed Jun e/24, 1954 IN VEN TORS JOHN J. REAGAN 8: g yoms A. GRIFFITHS w aya United States Patent DRUM TILTING DEVICE John I. Reagan, Cleveland, and Thomas A. Grllliths, Shaker Heights, Ohio, assignors to The Standard Oil Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 24, 1954, Serial No. 438,918

2 Claims. (Cl. 248-346) solids are shipped in such drums, and one standard size of drums is capable of accommodating 55 gallons of a liquid. Drums of this type are widely used in many industries. In the petroleum industry, for example, extensive use is made of these drums for the packaging of various petroleum specialty products, such as lubricating oils and greases, anti-freeze, and the like. When the drums are full, they will frequently weight about 400 to 500 pounds. Accordingly, the handling of the full drums is no easy task.

If a great number of such drums are to be handled, the handling is usually accomplished by mechanical means. For example, one of the instrumentalities commonly employed to handle drums is a self-propelled drum carrier which can pick up four of the drums by engagement of their sides and move them from place to place. However, in loading the drums for shipping, such a drum carrier, because of its necessary size and limits on maneuverability, cannot always position the drums as effectively as is desired in order to utilize fully the space in railroad cars, vans and the like in which the drums are ordinarily shipped. Consequently, it is the practice in handling these drums to positon them as best as possible with the mechanical means and to complete the arranging of the drums within the carrier by hand.

Manual movement of a drum is usually accomplished by tilting the drum from a flat position so that it rests on the chime and rolling it on the chime into the desired position. A great deal of effort must be expended in order to tilt the drum and this is the most ditficult step in the manual handling of the drums.

Therefore, it is the object of this invention to provide a device whereby it is possible to eliminate the manual tilting of the drums.

We have invented a simple device which consists essentially of a flat plate with projections spaced appropriately on the face of the base plate. The device is placed on the floor of the vehicle to be loaded so that the drum carrier can set the drums down on top of the device. The projections on the face of the plate will cause the drums to rest in a substantially tilted position and thereby facilitate the manual handling of the drums.

The invention will be better understood by reference to the attached drawing wherein similar reference figures denote similar parts throughout.

Figure 1 is an isometric view of the drum tilting device.

Figure 2 illustrates a view of a mechanical drum carrier'which is used normally in connection with the device of this invention.

Figure 3 is an end view of the drum tilting device showing the drums in a tilted position.

"ice,

Figure 4 is a top view of the drum tilting device and of the drums positioned thereon.

Figure 1 illustrates in detail a specific embodiment of this invention. The base plate 1 is made in the shape of an isosceles trapezoid so that the front edge 2 is smaller in dimension than the rear edge 3. A projection 4 is attached to the long edge 3 of the base plate 1. The projection 4 is a channel bar which has holes 5 therein to serve as handles which facilitate lifting and moving the device. It is not necessary that the projection 4 be a single element extending the entire length of the 'plate, but it could be alternately formed from two separate and much smaller elements which would be located in the same relation to the edge 3 but spaced apart. Two projections 6 are also formed on the plate near the forward edge 2. The projections 6 may be of any suit able size except that they should be spaced apart so that a drum 70, which was originally resting on the projection 4, may be rolled between the two forward projections 6.

This requirement will, of course, preclude the use of a continuous projection on the forward edge 2 of the base plate 1.

In the case of 55 gallon drums which are about 22 to 24 inches in diameter and about 32 to 36 inches high, the edge 3 will be about 48 inches, the edge 2 will be about 36 inches, and the edges 8 and 9 will be about 28.5 inches. The projections 6 will be about 3 inches long and will be about 22 inches apart. The projections 4 and 6 will be about 3 inches high. The projections 6 are spaced apart to permit a drum to be rolled between them without interference from either of them and they are attached perpendicularly to-the shorter of the two opposite unequal sides of said base plate. Furthermore, the projections 6 are spaced from the opposite side of the base plate a distance less than the diameter of a drum and usually the projections 4 and 6 will have the same elevation. The shape and dimensions are not critical as long as the device can be used in the manner described.

As can be seen from Figure 2, the drum carrier handles four drums at a time and can be moved from place to place. Within the frame A are means for engaging the cylindrical sides of the drums so that they are held securely in the frame. The elevator B raises and lowers the frame A. In operation, the frame A is raised and positioned over four drums. It is then lowered and the drums engaged. The elevator B then raises the drums off the floor and the operator drives the carrier from the warehouse to the vehicle in which the drums are to be loaded. The device of the invention is placed in the behicle and the drum carrier is driven so that the frame A is positioned over the device of this invention as shown on Figure 2. The frame is then lowered until the drums are in contact with the device. The drums are subsequently disengaged and the frame is raised, leaving the drums standing on the device in tilted positions.

Figure 3 shows drums 7a and 7c in a tilted position resting on the device of the invention. It is patently obvious from this view that the drums are in a position to be rolled off of the base plate along their chime 10 with a minimum of effort on the part of a worker and positioned in the vehicle.

Figure 4 illustrates the importance of the spacing of the projections 6. The drums 7a obviously can be rolled off the device and to the proper positions without interference. The drum 7b resting near the edge 3 can be rolled oil the plate 1 around the side 9 along the path 7B without striking the front projection 6. The spacing between the projections 6 permits the drum 70 to be rolled along the path 70 without interferences from either of the projections 6.

Thus, item be seen that this invention will greatly aid the manual handling of the drums. It is. important to note that this invention may be used by either a right or left-handed man, as the drums are in a position to be rolled' in either direction. A. left-handed man would? roll drum 7b instead of 7c between the projections 6. It: also permits four drums, the capacity of the drum carrier, to be positioned and movedwithout interference by the.de.- vice. Further, all manual tilting of the drums is eliminated. As: was pointed out heretofore, the tilting of the drums has been, until the present, the most difficult and arduous step in the manual handling of loaded drums.

This device may be constructed of any suitable material, such as wood, steel, magnesium, aluminum, etc., and the projections may be joined to the base plate likewise in any suitable manner, as by welding, bolting, etc. If metal is employed in theconstruction of this device, it is possible to form the device from a single section of the metal.

It is obvious that modifications of this device will occur to those skilled in theart, but this invention is not deemed to be limited except by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A drum tilting device accommodating at least four drums comprising a generally rectangular shaped andsubstantially fiat base plate, a first projection attached perendicularly to said base plate near one of its edges and extending the length of said edge, and second and' third projections spaced apart to permit a drum to be rolled between them without interference from either of them and attached perpendicularly to said base plate at the edge opposite to said first projection, all of said projections being of equal elevation.

2. A drum tilting device accommodating at least four drums comprising a substantially fiat base plate having the configuration of an isosceles trapezoid, a first projection attached perpendicularly to said base plate near the edge of the longer of the two opposite unequal sides of said base and extending the entire length of said edge, and second and thirck projections spaced apart to permit a drum. to be rolled between them without interference from either of them and attached perpendicularly to the shorter of the two opposite unequal sides of said base plate and spaced from the opposite side a distance less than the diameter of a drum, allof said projections being of equal elevation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 151,643 Mackenzie Nov. 2, 1948 418,060 Ranney Dec. 24, 1889 746,956 Grantham Dec. 15, 1903 1,297,435 Beck Mar. 18, 1919 1,508,898 Smith Sept. 16, 1924 1,903,341 Mitchell Apr. 4, 1933 2,662,988 McKim, Dec. 15, 1953 2,676,778 Pace Apr. 27, I954 FOREIGN PATENTS 275,448 Italy Dec; 29, 1928 564,695 Great Britain Oct. 9, 1944 

